Old People Have Talents
This post is about personal regrets. It relates to a guy I knew in high school who was a shop teacher. He offered to teach me how to use a router, after he retired. I was in my late twenties. However, I did not make the time to sit with him to learn what he was willing to teach me.
If I had, I might have given myself another income option, like working in a cabinet shop, in construction, or on some unique crafting.
Why Does that Matter?
Of course, you may feel smart and not into learning from others. That would be a mistake. You will have enough regrets in your life without purposely adding to them.
You need to open yourself up to learning from others. Everyone has had different experiences and exposure to things that you have not. It might be worth exploring what they are willing to share.
However, you need a reason to ask for more information. Sometimes you hear something that sparks an interest. Jot a note to do further study. I know you can just ask Siri or Alexa to get a quick answer. But if it has potential meaning to your future skills or income options, you must make a note to add to your list of learning goals, if you have one.
Making Some Learning Goals
We waste so much time over our lifetime. Of course, we need to rest from our work. However, we will serve our hope for the future much better if we consider as many learning opportunities as possible.
Even if you only have a few interests, now, I am certain there is a lot more to learn than you may have considered.
Reading will help. Reading will expand your view of the world. You can learn more about how people think and why they act the way they do. Unfortunately, ignorance is at the core of why people experience financial problems, marital problems, and health problems. If you doubt me, then read for yourself.
If you need some motivation, read some motivational books. If you want to be rich, read about how to get rich. If you want to be happy, read about how to be happy.
It is not hard. You just need a list of reasons to read and set them up on your list of goals!
Who Needs Goals?
Your employer usually has annual reviews with work goals for the coming year. Granted, that may be mostly with large companies. But, if those companies want to be successful, they need workers doing their jobs correctly with an eye on continuous improvement.
If you had done some reading about being successful, you would know that your personal success requires a similar approach. That is, set some goals to improve your health, your relationships, and your personal financial assets and you will experience personal growth on many levels!
And, since most of us get lazy and walk away from our responsibilities, we need to review our goals at least annually, to be sure we stay focused on them and find a way to measure our progress.
Do you want to learn more about that? Read about it!
Your World with Money
Since my blog is about building a better mindset for money, I must try to encourage you to improve your understanding of money and how it can affect your world if you ignore the need to manage it.
So, if you want to succeed with money, learn to manage it by reading about how to become debt-free and to build enough resources to feel less stress for earning a certain amount of income. Read all you can about those topics, and you will find a way to succeed with managing your money.
My blog posts are available to help you consider your options and provide other sources of related information, such as income options, controls on spending, learning how to earn more, investing options, understanding the economy and inflation, how to save money with healthy habits, and the value of allocating time to manage your money and your goals.
Earning enough income to cover your current bills will not relieve all your concerns for the future.
I do not want to scare you. You will most likely have some unexpected expenses. Machines and structures will need repairs. Accidents can create medical expenses, along with those troublesome diseases. I could go on, but I promised not to scare you. The real question is are you ready to fund most of those unexpected expenses?
Although I believe prayer will help solve a lot of problems, you will need to rely on the skills you have learned to manage problems that arise. That includes the savings you accumulate for funding those problem resolutions.
“An Ounce of Prevention”
There is an old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It refers to addressing things before they get out of hand.
For example, a farmer may use that thought to find a cure for a sick cow. An auto mechanic might replace thin brake pads. You might have less stress if you saved enough to pay cash for those new brakes. Or you might apologize to someone over a misunderstanding. Do you want to lose a cow, fail to stop, use a credit card to pay for emergencies, or lose a friend?
When you consider your goals and long-range plans, you will do well to look at your present situation.
Ask yourself, do I make enough income to cover my expenses? Do I have enough in savings to cover most emergencies? What debts do I have that need to be paid and were those purchases worth the added cost of interest? Can I live on less? Are all my relationships in good standing? Am I making time to do the right things? Have I considered my options in all areas of my life? Am I taking care of my health?
If your answers say you are going in the right direction and have plenty of funds to cover all your needs and potential needs, then, perhaps, you can stop reading and count your blessings. If not, then you must start a list of goals, things you want and things you need to do better!
Start your list of preventions that can help you cure future problems.
Look Ahead and Focus on the Road
I drove a school bus for two years. In my training, we were taught to look ahead and focus on the road with potential reasons to slow down or stop, to prevent accidents. A bus takes a while to stop!
Another reason for making goals and monitoring what is going on in your life is to be able to make changes and stop going in the wrong direction.
Pay attention! Are you putting yourself at risk with friends and family who are making bad choices? Can you set a better example? Are you happy with your financial situation? Are you happy with what you do for a living? Are you happy with where you live, what you drive, etc.?
You have reasons to look ahead. You have reasons to look around at your present situation!
Read to encourage yourself. Listen to others for what may be encouraging to you.
There is a lot to learn. Learn what you need to learn. Learn what you want to learn.
Find those who have done what you want to do. Seek them out to learn how to do what you want to do.
Then, maybe you will learn more than you thought possible, maybe even learn how to use a router!